Charly and Sandai, a Bengal tiger and a Borneo orangutan, two endangered species, received their second dose of coronavirus vaccine on Monday (January 3) as part of a unique experimental program in Latin America led by the Santiago de Chile Zoo.
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The 26-year-old Sandai represents "
an important reproductive potential for the species, which has led us to focus on its immunization,
" Ignacio Idalsoaga, director of the Buin zoo, told AFP. Charly, despite being only three years old, is already a huge Bengal tiger, one of the biggest cats in the world. Both are part of the dozen animals that now have a complete vaccination schedule, along with other big cats and great apes. They had received a first dose of vaccine on December 13.
The vaccine administered is experimental and is not available for sale.
Its formula intended only for animals knows certain similarities with that administered to humans, the main variant residing in the adjuvant used, explained the veterinary laboratory Zoetis which provided the doses.
The same vaccine has already been used on animals at the San Diego Zoo in the United States, but Chile (where 87% of the population over the age of three is fully vaccinated) is the only country in Latin America to launch an animal vaccination program.
Read also Covid-19: six lions and three tigers from the Washington Zoo tested positive
"
The idea is to protect the most sensitive animals against the coronavirus and, at the same time, to check whether the vaccines generate immunity and how long this immunity lasts, much like in humans
", explains Sebastian Celis , head of the veterinary department.
To appease the animals during the bite, a portion of fresh meat was offered to Charly.
Sandai was given copious amounts of sliced bananas, his favorite food.
No cases of coronavirus have been detected at Buin Zoo, unlike that in Washington where six lions and three tigers were vaccinated against Covid-19 after testing positive mid-last year.
Gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo in Georgia were among the first to test positive for the coronavirus.
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